Pimple-popping subreddits, all-access cyst "oatmeal", and gagging on toe-jam! Think
you're a die-hard Popaholic? When it comes to "Dr. Pimple Popper," you ain't squeezed nothin' yet!
"Don't try this at home." Have you ever wondered where Dr.
Sandra Lee finds all her patients? Well, according to Refinery29,
you can actually audition to star on "Dr. Pimple Popper." All you have to
do is send in a few snaps of your skin issue, and you just might be Dr. Lee's next patient.
Another way is to actually get discovered. Casting agents source clients through forums
like Reddit and Facebook. And as Dr. Lee told Lifestyle Today,
"We cast a pretty wide net. I mean, we've had people from other countries,
certainly, from Canada, from the Philippines."
And of course current patients of Dr. Lee could also be a good fit
for the show. As the doctor noted to Refinery29,
"The bigger or crazier the skin condition, the better the chances."
It's no secret that cosmetic procedures can be expensive. But one major upside to seeing
Dr. Lee on camera is that everything — including travel if you don't live near
her Upland, California office — is covered by production. As she explained to Refinery29,
"Medical insurance is complicated. The rules of what dermatological procedures are covered under
certain insurance plans differ state to state. Sadly, I find that the reason a lot of my patients
haven't had their condition treated is because they don't have the money to have it done."
"Girl, we gotta get rid of that thing for you."
Still, Dr. Lee suggests getting any odd skin condition checked as soon as possible, adding,
"There are so many wonderful board-certified
dermatologists all around the world. […] That's someone who has spent many,
many years — 12 years of higher education — becoming an expert on the skin."
Dr. Lee isn't exactly raking it in when it comes to her hit show. But it's not like she's living
paycheck to paycheck. Though the numbers may not be exact, Distractify estimates that Dr. Lee makes
around $2 million a year just from her YouTube videos. Then there's her dermatologist salary,
which averages roughly $260,000 to $400,000 per year, and sales from her book as well as
her skincare line. Overall, her net worth is estimated to be roughly $7 million as of 2022.
Despite the apparent lack of "Dr. Pimple Popper" cash,
the doctor shared her gratitude for the show, sharing with WealthSimple,
"I don't see how people respond to me removing some growth on them. I
don't really see how it affects their life. So it's cool for me to see that,
and it makes me realize that what I'm doing is a good thing."
"Thank you Dr. Lee!" There's a good chance that if you like Dr. Lee's
content, you'll love Dr. Pimple Popper All-Access. Popaholics only have to pay $1.99 per month to see
grossly satisfying content like "Thick Oatmeal in the Cheek Cyst." Hey! To each their own, right?
Before Dr. Pimple Popper became a household name,
she practically stumbled upon the pimple-popping community online. And as she recalled to GQ,
"I was like, I could be their queen. I could be their person. So I just thought I would just keep
posting things, and I saw the reactions, I saw people getting excited about it and it was just
like this bonfire I felt like I was building. I was like let’s see what we can do with this."
"Pimples are gonna have to be popped."
The enthusiasm for poppable content hasn't slowed down
since. Clearly fans just can't get enough of the good stuff.
It appears that Dr. Lee is a very busy woman. And though
she does do the occasional time out of office, she's not necessarily chilling
on the sofa. According to PopSugar, a normal day without clients involves:
"Meetings, filming content for SLMD, filming podcasts and TV shows,
and editing videos for my social media platforms and YouTube."
"Know when to pop and know when to stop."
And before that, she works out and takes her kids to school. So does she ever enjoy
any downtime? Yes. And she spends it with her family. She explained to the outlet,
"We all get into one big bed and watch a little national news and 'Impractical
Jokers.' […] I'm so lucky to live near my family and that my mom is a spectacular cook,
whipping up traditional Singapore and Malaysian dishes effortlessly. Anyone
who has eaten one of her meals will agree." Most celebrity doctors would probably outsource
their grunt work. But not Dr. Lee! Although she does employ a film and editing team,
she still likes to do a lot of the editing on her own in the evenings. She told PopSugar,
"I love doing it myself whenever I can. […] I really wanted to get
a fun Halloween video up on my YouTube channel,
so I spent some time brainstorming ideas for something popaholics would love."
Considering everything this skin expert has on her plate,
her dedication to her fans is seriously impressive.
Despite Dr. Lee's pro popper status, there are parts of the job that completely gross her
out. But, as always, there's no way her clients would never know it. She explained to Mashable,
"The ones that are most shocking to me are the ones that get you. They
squirt. We have protective gear, but sometimes you might even forget your
protective gear and not expect that something's gonna get you."
"Just close your eyes and don't open your mouth."
She also said that cyst splatter can present a unique challenge
compared to other types of conditions, adding,
"If you get cyst on your hair, it's sort of like a campfire when you smell it. You gotta
take a shower. You get it on your arm, you feel like it's acid on you. When you have an
infected cyst or inflamed cyst […] that can be messy. Those are probably the most gruesome."
But what's the worst of the worst when it comes to
the issues that walk through her door? She confessed to GQ,
"Toe jam is my kryptonite. Like, I don't like long toenails and stuff like that."
"Sure, I've seen things like this in textbooks, but I've never seen it in person."
Did you know Dr. Lee does a lot more than just extractions? At her office — Skin
Physicians & Surgeons — she offers earlobe surgeries, Mohs skin cancer surgery,
as well as many other cosmetic procedures. In an interview with Mental Floss, she said,
"I guess I'm a surgeon, but that's not what all dermatologists do. I do a lot of cosmetics, too:
liposuction, laser resurfacing, eye lifts, skin cancer surgery, Botox, and fillers."
Despite the fact that Dr. Lee is trained in a wide variety of areas, she has yet to fully expand her
content beyond extractions, and into the true breadth of her profession. She told the outlet,
"I don't really show that. There are other people that show that and so sometimes I consider doing
that, too. […] It's just a different kind of clientele, and they're more self-conscious."
Dr. Lee explains her hectic schedule,
telling Allure that she typically sees her off-camera patients two days each week — but
that doesn't mean she's not working nearly every other moment that she can. She noted,
"I have so many other things that are going on, like we're filming for the TV show,
doing things on social media, like, I feel like I'm working literally,
like from the moment I wake up to pretty much when I go to sleep."
"I think it's a cyst. If it's spiders, I'm out."
She admits that the grueling shoot schedule for her TV show can take a toll. She told PopSugar,
"I'm actually working through the weekend. I wake up to start filming
some episodes for season two of my show. I see three to four patients per day,
with the aim to try and film an episode per day. It's a really long day,
with a lot of down time, and then a lot of stress — it's very 'hurry up and wait.'"
Keeping up with her social media content seems nearly as demanding as everything
else. According to Mental Floss, Dr. Lee posts her videos regularly, but she says,
"Some days I get five, so I probably have 30 days of content backed up.
I try to put one video up every day." You may be most familiar with Dr. Lee's TV show,
YouTube videos, or Instagram posts, but the famous dermatologist also puts out tons of
content on TikTok. Of course there are plenty of extraction videos, but she also throws in some
funny sketches, day-in-the-life videos, and even duets with other users. Overall, it's a fun and
personal look into her work and her day-to-day life, and her fans are loving all of it.
"Welcome to the dark side."
Just a quick browse through her page reveals all kinds of content including a "Guess the Contents"
video, where fans get to guess what exactly will be revealed inside a patient's lump, cyst,
or pimple. It could be a smooth, dense material which is typically found in a lipoma; a textured,
liquid-y substance that Dr. Lee has taken to calling "oatmeal," or it could be something else
entirely. It's the surprise and shock factor that is clearly part of the appeal. But that
doesn't mean fans aren't a little triggered by the yuck factor. As one user commented,
"Bro I gagged and then continued watching it."
Yep. That pretty much sums up the secret to Dr. Lee's stunning success.
Of course, a big part of why we love "Dr. Pimple Popper" is because it's addictingly
gross to watch. But another reason is that it offers a platform to normalize the weird stuff
going on with each of our bodies. Because, hey, we're all gonna have something weird
and freaky pop up at some point. Isn't it nice to know that someone else had it too?
"[Gasps] Oh my gosh. It was really disgusting."
Dr. Lee opened up about one client who had been living with cysts on his scrotum.
Explaining that it's never anything to be ashamed of, she told Mashable,
"This guy was like 24, never had a girlfriend, his parents don't even know. […] He didn't know
anyone else who ever had it. It was a big deal for him to see me in the first place."
While Dr. Lee is a fearless advocate for normalizing skin conditions of all kinds, she
also prioritizes and respects her client's privacy above anything else. She shared with the outlet,
"I have had women who've had big blackheads on their private area,
and I don't usually take photos just because it's a private area. I can
find a good blackhead somewhere else. I don't need to show that area of somebody."
"Ok, you ready?"
"Yes. I'm ready."
"Ok."
Whatever content she's willing to share, we Popaholics are here for it!